MDPbiome: microbiome engineering through prescriptive perturbations.

ABSTRACT:

Motivation

Recent microbiome dynamics studies highlight the current inability to predict the effects of external perturbations on complex microbial populations. To do so would be particularly advantageous in fields such as medicine, bioremediation or industrial scenarios.

Results

MDPbiome statistically models longitudinal metagenomics samples undergoing perturbations as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). Given a starting microbial composition, our MDPbiome system suggests the sequence of external perturbation(s) that will engineer that microbiome to a goal state, for example, a healthier or more performant composition. It also estimates intermediate microbiome states along the path, thus making it possible to avoid particularly undesirable/unhealthy states. We demonstrate MDPb

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Jimenez B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6129268 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature